1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to dock bumpers and more specifically to a moveable dock bumper.
2. Description of Related Art
A loading dock provides a platform of a height roughly equal to that of an average truck trailer bed. This allows forklifts and other pallet carriers to readily transfer cargo between the dock and the trailer bed. Since trailer bed heights vary, the loading dock usually includes a dock leveler that provides an adjustable ramp to accommodate the various heights. When a truck backs into the dock, bumpers mounted adjacent the dock leveler are often used to help prevent the rear of the trailer bed from damaging itself or items associated with the dock, such as a door or door frame. Such bumpers create a gap between the dock and the rear of the trailer bed, thus dock levelers usually include a lip extension that bridges the gap.
In some cases, a truck or trailer bed may be excessively high, or a truck may deliver a swap body or similar cargo container to the dock. A swap body is a large container designed to be carried upon the trailer of a truck, or on a ship or railroad car. Swap bodies often have four self-supporting legs that store when in transit, and deploy when left at a loading dock. When delivered to a dock, swap bodies are often too high to catch a conventional dock bumper whose top is generally flush with the dock platform. Thus, the delivery of swap bodies are known to damage docks as well as the swap bodies themselves. The same is true for trucks and trailer beds that are excessively high.
A dock-mounted bumper extending several inches above the platform could prevent such damage, but the raised bumper could also obstruct loading and unloading. Although forklifts and pallet carriers themselves are capable of avoiding a raised bumper, the presence of pallets and/or their load on the fork truck may limit this capability, as they may need to be lifted up and over the bumper in order to be placed to either rear side of the trailer bed or swap body. If there is sufficient head clearance within the truck or swap body, a forklift can lift a pallet up and over a raised bumper. However, many pallet carriers can only lift a pallet a couple of inches off the floor, thus the rear sides of the trailer bed or swap body can become virtually inaccessible.
Some raised bumpers are moveable, such as those disclosed in French Patent 2686913 and German Patent 29804117; however, they have their drawbacks. Although the ""913 bumper raises and lowers, its support frame remains extended above the dock platform, thus the bumper""s frame remains an obstruction. The ""117 reference discloses a raised bumper that can slide off to one side. However, once a swap body is leaning tightly up against the bumper, it may be difficult to overcome the friction between the swap body and the face of the bumper, thus making it difficult to reposition the bumper. The same problem could occur if a truck backs its trailer bed tightly up against the bumper.
To accommodate truck trailers and swap bodies of various height, a loading dock is provided with a bumper that is moveable between an operative position and a stored position, wherein upon moving from the operative position to the stored position, the bumper moves in a direction that traverses an abutment face of the bumper.
In some embodiments, the bumper lowers upon moving from its operative position to its stored position.
In some embodiments, the bumper is able to swing away from a truck, trailer, or container that may be parked up against the bumper.
In some embodiments, the bumper swings about a substantially horizontal axis.
In some embodiments, the bumper swings about an axis that traverses a horizontal plane.
In some embodiments, the bumper can rise above a frame that supports the bumper.
In some embodiments, the bumper is mechanically urged toward its operative position.
In some embodiments, the movement of the bumper is foot-actuated.